CONVEYING
gear oil selection, grease selection, grease application, contamination exclusion, and visual monitoring / contamination removal.“ It is important to first identify what type of lubricant the OEM recommends. Next, use the LETS strategy to make the recommendation that best fits your situation.” LE recommends asking a series of key questions: Is the load light, moderate or heavy? Is moisture present? Are fine particulates present? What are the actual temperatures to which the application and lubricant will be exposed, from startup to normal operating temperatures? How fast does the conveyor travel: slow, moderate or fast? What is the bearing rpm?“ Answering these questions will help you select the right lubricant and reliability solutions for properly caring for your equipment.”
Ropeway engineering for mines
Bringing material from point A to point B is only a small part of the entire production chain. Sometimes, however, this part presents serious difficulties for conventional conveying techniques. Restricted accessibility of the site due to rugged terrain or existing infrastructure and other obstacles might hinder the material flow. Also, the importance of a system’ s footprint increases, especially in environmentally sensitive areas or close to residential zones. Alternative solutions have to be found to overcome the difficulties conventional conveying technologies experience under such circumstances.
Doppelmayr Transport Technology provides solutions for all types of bulk material and unit load transport requirements with a wide range of technically proven material transport systems. Its systems are especially well suited for difficult terrain and allow to span existing obstacles.
The company is a 100 % subsidiary of the Doppelmayr Group. Doppelmayr is a technology leader and pioneer in ropeway engineering and has built more than 14,700 passenger and material transport systems in 90 countries. Within the Group, Doppelmayr Transport Technology specialises in material handling solutions. RopeCon ® is Doppelmayr’ s innovative concept for conveying bulk material. It combines the advantages of proven ropeway engineering with continuous conveyor technology. The system consists of a continuous flat belt with corrugated side walls. The haulage function is performed by the belt and is fixed to axles at regular intervals. These axles support the belt and have running wheels fitted to either end which run on track ropes. The track ropes are elevated off the ground and guided over tower structures. This enables RopeCon ® to easily cross obstacles such as roads, valleys, rivers and buildings. RopeCon achieves conveying capacities of up to 25,000 t / h, while having a minimum structural footprint as it is an elevated system.
In March 2016, a RopeCon system took up operation at Torex Resources’ s El Limón-Guajes mine in Mexico. It now connects the pit with the processing plant, overcoming an altitude difference of approximately 400 m in steep terrain. The system acts as a means to transport 1,000 t of gold ore per hour into the valley over a distance of 1.3 km. Along with other aspects, safety and environment were key considerations in prompting the decision.
Finally, in September 2016, South African mining company Booysendal Platinum( Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary of Northam Platinum Ltd, opted for a RopeCon system to transport the mined ore from the Booysendal South ore deposit to the existing processing plant. In view of the difficult topographical situation the belt conveyor, which runs on ropes, proved to be the ideal solution to transport almost 500,000 t of material per month safely and easily over a distance of approximately 4.9 km and a difference in elevation of 530 m. The conveyor is due to be in operation by the end of 2018.
Industry consolidation – TAKRAF buys FMC MHS
Global mining and bulk material handling equipment supplier, TAKRAF, has announced that it has recently acquired the assets of FMC Technologies’ Material Handling Systems( FMC MHS) business unit based in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA. For over 100 years, FMC MHS has been a global leader in providing material handling solutions to a variety of industries including mining, minerals and power.
“ The business provides systems expertise by engineering, procuring, and construction assistance of complete material handling systems for its customers. It also provides a line of proprietary equipment for rotary drying and cooling of various materials. From large power generating stations to above-ground mining and material processing plants, FMC MHS is widely
A RopeCon installtion that spans the river Nile in Sudan transporting 9,000 t / d of limestone to a cement operation
known for its engineering solutions for efficient and dependable operations.”
FMC MHS markets on a global scale with installations worldwide including the US, Canada, Chile, China, India and Australia. FMC MHS states that at metal mining operations,“ our equipment is required in stripping and disposing of overburden, transportation from mine to processing plant and between crushing, grinding, screening, concentrating, palletising, sintering, stockpiling, reclaiming and removing refuse or tailings to spoil areas. Also, it is used extensively at port facilities serving overseas operations.”
“ This acquisition brings with it a number of advantages that we seek to leverage. We identified a need to add to our equipment portfolio and this opportunity enables us to realise our strategic goals – to strengthen our position in the lighter material handling business and reinforce our growth strategy”, says Dr Frank Hubrich, CEO of TAKRAF,“ FMC MHS’ s product portfolio is complementary to TAKRAF’ s and now enables the company to provide a range of equipment catering also to smaller volumes and integrated in-plant conveyor solutions.”
FMC MHS also boasts important references in non-traditional TAKRAF industries and are proud of their long-standing relationships with plant owners and major global EPCs and EPCMs. The business unit is being integrated into TAKRAF’ s USA business, located in Denver, and will retain its office presence in Lansdale.
This latest sale is the second major conveyor related sale by FMC, as back in 2014, Syntron Material Handling( SMH) was separately built out of the legacies of Link-Belt Company and Syntron Company, also formerly owned by FMC Technologies.
58 International Mining | FEBRUARY 2017